The West Sacramento City Council on May 8 approved the 2013 West Sacramento Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan.

“The low-stress bike network would be designed to encourage more West Sacramento residents and workers to use their bikes for local trips for both recreation and their commute,” reported city spokesman Art Schroeder. “It would include an expansion of bike lanes on streets with up to four total lanes and a speed limit of up to 30 miles per hour (35 miles per hour if a raised median is present) and on shared streets with up to three total lanes and a speed limit of up to 25 miles per hour).”

The plan also would increase West Sacramento’s 44 miles of existing bikeways and trails to nearly 101.8 miles over the next several years, using federal, state, regional and local funding programs to cover the estimated $43.5 million cost, according to Schroeder.

With adoption of the new plan, West Sacramento’s goal now is that by 2030 five percent of commute trips by West Sacramento residents are by bike and 10 percent of commute trips are by walking. Currently only 1.1 percent of West Sacramento residents commute to and from work by bike, while 1.9 percent of residents currently commute by walking, said Schroeder.

With a combined 15 percent of commute trips by biking and walking, there would be more than 1,000 West Sacramento bicycle commuters and more than 2,000 walk commuters in 2030. Other planned policies to encourage more biking and walking in West Sacramento include:

• Increasing bike parking facilities
• Encouraging developers to provide shower/changing facilities for office buildings
• Participation in a bike sharing program being developed by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
• Developing improved pedestrian facilities on Jefferson Blvd., West Capital Ave., Enterprise Ave. and around River City High School